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Avrahm
History For thousands of years, the primarchs have been divided into to opposing factions: Kah'ne's fiends and Jadaos's celestials. Their war has raged non-stop for almost as long. Their war became so intense that the Urathear created for them a separate plane of existence where they could continue their endless war without endangering the lives of the newly-created mortal beings of Incantre. But, those many thousands of years ago, not all of the primarchs succumbed to the lure of the rival gods. Some of remained as they were, powerful exemplars of the first living race. Over time, the number of neutral primarchs has dwindled even further as many of them devoted themselves to the various members of the Urathear after the fact. The number of neutral primarchs that still live can be counted in the dozens. Since they were taken to the primarch plane along with their warring brothers and sisters, most take advantage of its infinite expanse and live their lives in solitude. Some, however, have been harboring hatred for these past millenia. They resent their creators for depriving them of their home world. They resent their misguided siblings for the never-ending war and for causing them to lose their home. But most of all, they resent the residents of the primary plane. To the neutral primarchs, the beings of the primary plane are usurpers, weak and pathetic beings who stole from them what was rightfully theirs. Among these resentful few, there is one whose name is well-known on his plane. Avrahm the Monolith, as he is known to primarchs and elementals, makes no effort to live in seclusion. He roams the primarch plane, destroying celestials, fiends and elementals alike. His long-lasting neutrality and disdain for the gods has rendered him immune to the magics granted by the Urathear. Instead, he tapped into the passive, general magic of the universe, the magic which the Urathear used to mould the two planes, and he uses it like a siphon to draw power from the bodies of those he has slain. Having spent thousands of years draining magical power from primarchs and elementals, Avrahm had become incredibly powerful, a being of near demi-god status on his plane. Even so, he was not content. It was then that he discovered how to cross the planes. Unlike his celestial and fiendish siblings, he did not fold the two planes into each other in order to make a crossing. Instead, he used his magic and strength to tear at the very fabric of the two dimensions and force his way into Incantre. Act 1 - There's Something in the Air... On a cold day early in Incantre's winter, powerful magical pulses were felt all across the land. Over the course of a week, the pulses became more frequent and some Incantreans were able to determine their source - a rift that was opening outside the ruins of Ern'Echad. The type of magic was a kind that had not been seen on the world for milennia. The rift grew over a few days and once it was large enough, the Monolith stepped through into Incantre. Act 2 - The Monolith Comes to Incantre Avrahm arrived in Incantre in a weakened state. The power he used to force his way across the planes had drained him severely and created a ripple in the world's energy that could be felt by any living being with an aptitude for magic. Being on his home plane also altered him in ways he didn't expect. No longer was he totally immune to all of the magic granted by the Urathear, but he still had an incredibly hardy resistance to it. He would never recover the full power he had on the primarch plane, but he had more than enough strength to exact his revenge on the creatures that had stolen his home from him all of those thousands of years ago. Many of the people gathered to witness the Monolith cross over to this plane confronted him. A log of the event can be found here. Act 3 - Whispers From Other Lands The Monolith left, but not from the world... Late Fall Travelers passing through Incantre bring word of the Monolith being seen in distant kingdoms. He comes and goes through rifts and wreaks havoc where her appears. Rumors abound that he has been raiding and destroying libraries. Guards, warriors and civilians alike that try to stop him are cut down effortlessly. He has been credited with the recent destruction of temples of Kah'ne and Ryaus. Most of what is said implies that he will go out of his way to destroy things sacred to worshipers of the Urathear. Early Winter As more travelers pass through Incantre, some more rumors about the Monolith and what happened at the village of Heere have come to Incantre. The last information about the Monolith told of his wanton destruction of cities, castles, platoons of soldiers and countless innocent civilians from all walks of life. Until something turned him back at the village of Heere. More travelers coming and going through Incantre have brought more details, though some of the information is conflicting. A bard that stayed at the Tarithyll sang of the villagers slaying the Monolith. A salesman said he heard the village of Heere had actually been destroyed. Most of the different voices bringing news do share a number of details. According to most, the Avrahm took a man with him when he left Heere and otherwise, none of the townspeople were hurt. A noted scholar and historian specializing in the 'exodus', around 3,500 years ago. Even if the Monolith was there for the historian, the villagers of Heere managed to fight him off without so much as a casualty. The rumors are that none of them are particularly skilled combatants or strong mages so it remains to be seen how they were able to get off scott-free. The Heigh of Winter More concrete information has come to Incantre about the Monolith's activity in the form of a drow town crier who stopped in Se'Vahk, the ruins of Ern'Echad and the village of Tarithyll in order to spread the word to any that would listen. According to his proclamations, the underdark cities of Valrost and Se'Tol were each attacked by the Monolith only a few days apart, despite being more than a week's ride from one another by horseback. In both instances, he came and went by tearing rifts in the air despite both locations having long-standing wards against normal magical intrusion. Also in both instances, he sacked the cities' libraries and in the case of Valrost, the fighting in the library actually caused the building to crumble. All-in-all, thirty six people were killed, seventeen of them being guards with solid combat training and experience. Whether or not he took books with him is unknown due to the level of destruction he brought down on the libraries but surviving witnesses have claimed that he made his was to certain books about ancient history and myth before starting the slaughter. Since the attack on Se'Tol, a man matching his description has been spotted traveling on foot a number of times outside small villages and towns. No additional information about the kidnapped historian from Heere has been discovered. Late Winter A number of frantic messengers have passed through Incantre, all sharing a similar message. The small underdark city of Ren'lok was attacked by the Monolith. Not only did he raid the city's library and leave it in ruins but he slaughtered his way through the city's shrine to Kah'ne and Adsel as well. All-in-all, around 110 people lost their lives including the city's entire platoon of 29 guards. Ten of the lives were lost when Ren'lok's shrine sustained so much damage that it collapsed. Worse news still, the Monolith has been seen traveling on foot (at speeds making him incredibly difficult to track) in Incantre's direction. According to the messengers, at the rate he is traveling last he was spotted, he could be back in Incantre by the end of the week... Act 4 - Avrahm Confronted Early Reports Two residents of Se'Vahk have come forward claiming they saw Avrahm the Monolith underground outside of the city gates. In response, many of the citizens that had already started to gather in addition to a small force of city guards made their way outside and closed the gates behind them in order to search for the Monolith and prevent him from entering the city. The Attack The two residents of Se'Vahk who reported the Monolith to be outside the city were found to be cultists worshipping the Monolith and the end of days which he sought to bring out. In a historically unprecedented act, the Monolith used them as a distraction. He was already in the city of Se'Vahk when the gates were closed. With a mighty swing enhanced by the Monolith's mysterious 'power' that instantly leveled Se'Vahk's guard building and did major damage to its tavern, it became obvious to the large group outside that they had made a mistake. The gates were opened and the group confronted the Monolith inside the city. Despite their best efforts, the Monolith escaped with a book from the library and only minor injuries. A log of the event can be found here. Act 5 - Chaos and Disorder Two Weeks Later In the middle of the night, the unthinkable happened. A large rift opened outside of the tower of the Urathear and no fewer than a dozen men poured forth from it including Avrahm, the Monolith. The group was armed to the teeth and immediately entered the tower and locked the huge doors behind them. Muted screams could be heard from within the tower soon after. Within an hour, the men that had come with the Monolith were stationed throughout the tower, weapons at the ready. The burned bodies of the seven worshipers that were in the tower were dragged out onto the ground and put in a pile as a warning to those that may try to enter. One of the bodies had a note stuck to it with a knife. The note read: "Do not move these bodies or make any attempt to enter unless you intend to join them." A Notice Goes Out A quickly-penned notice appeared in a number of locations in each of Incantre's cities, regions, kingdoms and the spaces in-between. It reads: "To all the citizens of this land, The Chevalrych is holding a meeting at the Eyllistlarn pavilion on the night of Saturday the 9th to discuss what is known about the Monolith and how to go about killing him. If you have any information about the Monolith or want to do something to help bring about his downfall, join us. This event is open to all people of any allegiance or morality. We all share a common enemy. - Serych Devori" The Meeting Much information was shared at the meeting and it was finally revealed what the Monolith inteded to do. He was gaining power by desecrating the tower and he would soon be strong enough to enact his plan: to merge the primary and primarch planes. Such a merger would spell instant death for most residents of both planes and an unspeakable hell for those that managed to survive. A log of the meeting can be found here. Act 6 - The End is Nigh More Bad News A feeling of unrest permeates the cities and regions of Incantre as the Monolith nears the level of power he needs to perform his catastrophic ritual. The merging of the two planes... The mere notion of such sacrilege against the Urathear numbs the mind. It would bring death to most all living things of both planes and undoubtedly make those that survived perish soon after. Even so, almost no one has been able to glean information about activity within the tower of the Urathear. What little information there is bodes ill. The Monolith has expended some of his power creating rifts so that more cultists and supplies for them could be brought in without opening the tower doors. Now, by all accounts, there are nearly two dozen armed men guarding the tower with all kinds of weaponry. The pile of bodies that serve as warning for those outside the tower is now merely rotted flesh and bones. Worse still, the field draining divine magic has grown and spread beyond the tower and the area immediately around the crystal in the center of the region that takes travelers to the tower. It grasps at all of those in the Incantre region with clinging fingers, slowly and steadily sapping the power that was given to them by their faith in the Urathear. The Chevalrych messengers and scholars who had been keeping tabs on the Monolith's situation so that the citizens of Incantre could prepare a counter-offensive have been unusually quiet, but every citizen, large and small, know that the end is neigh. It Is Time The time has come. Messengers from the Chevalrych are visiting every community and group of people that they can to share the news that the Monolith will be starting his ritual to merge the planes this weekend. The power he needs to perform the ritual will drain him, making it the last opportunity to kill the monster and prevent his destructive plan. The warriors of all of Incantre's cultures will gather together Saturday evening at the Eyllistlarn pavilion to make a final strike at the tower of the Urathear, the Monoliths current residence. Anyone and everyone able to fight or support Incatre's fighters is needed. The Battle Many Incantreans from all walks of life showed up in force to confront the Monolith. Holy warriors stood side-by-side with death knights. Thieves with knights. Feral werewolves with refined high elves. For a night, all of Incantre was united in a single cause, to destroy the Monolith and stop his ritual. The battle was brutal with many dead and dozens of wounded, but ultimately the Monolith grew weak and blades started hitting their mark. He was overwhelmed and the drow Mortyrian Emor struck the final blow. The Monolith's body was sucked into the rift he had opened, disintegrating it and a warrior of the Chevalrych used a special charm that had been prepared to seal the rift and stop the ritual. A log of the night's events can be found here. Powers and Abilities Extreme Divine Magical Resistance Magic from a divine spell (magic granted by Urathear worship) is almost totally ineffective against Avrahm. He can shrug off small-medium spells and may be stalled by greater divine magic but generally not injured by it. Powerful Arcane Magical Resistence Magic that is arcane in origin works poorly against Avrahm. He can shrug off quick and small spells. Medium and powerful spells may injure or stall him but it would take being struck directly by a number of such spells before Avrahm would take any lasting injury. Hardened Physical Durability Avrahm is naturally very tough. Cutting through his skin takes a sharpened weapon swung with above-human strength (or a lucky hit). It also takes multiple blows/cuts to truly injure or disable him. He can naturally regenerate from almost any wound over the course of a few days. Fighting Skill Avrahm is a supreme fighter, on par with many of the best throughout Incantre's history. He fights like a juggernaut, choosing to take attacks against him and continue fighting rather than blocking or dodging them. Great Physical Strength A direct blow from Avrahm's weapon is strong enough to cause bones to break, limbs to be lost and mortal lives to be ended. He can heft his huge weapon easily and he can lift and throw a few hundred pounds without too much effort. Magical Ability - Spatial Distortion Avrahm can smash/slash a hole in reality in order to transport himself elsewhere. He was able to do it to cross the planes, though that left him permanently weakened. Now he can only do it to transport himself within the Incantre plane. Magical Ability - Divine Magic Absorbtion When facing a defeated or vulnerable foe capable of using divine magic, Avrahm can drain the magic from them. The effect of this can range from killing the target to simply them needing to recharge. Doing so requires Avrahm to be uninterrupted for two posts. Draining magical energy makes Avrahm permanently physically stronger, more durable and more resistant to divine magic in proportion with how much magic he drained. Generally, the effects from draining one user are negligible. Weaknesses Absolute Finite Power Revealed by a Se'Vahk citizen who made contact with a fiend on the primarch plane, Avrahm's power is absolutely finite. He does not regenerate power and when using it, it is lost for good. He can only gain power by desecrating holy sites of any of the Urathear or draining it from divine magic users. It was this weakness that made it possible for a group of Incantreans to kill him once he had expended most of his power to start his ritual to merge the planes.